1201 Lloyd Associates LLC

[February 2nd, 2005] With Portland's public schools in a near-permanent state of crisis, the Rogue desk is often lectured about substandard facilities, outdated textbooks and inadequate budgeting. But the kids at Benson High have a more fundamental obstacle on their path toward higher learning: a metal gate.

This road to roguery leads through a massive office complex at 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd. When developers 1201 Lloyd Associates LLC originally approached the City of Portland about their plans, they acknowledged a basic law of physics. The shortest distance between a high-school student and his classroom is a straight line, even if that line goes through private property. So the developer agreed to keep a pedestrian path linking Northeast Holladay Street to Lloyd Boulevard open to the public during daylight hours.

So it came as a surprise a few years back when Lloyd Associates built a massive locking iron gate blocking off the most popular pathway to the school.

Attorneys for the developers say the fence was needed to keep Benson High kids from vandalizing the building.

Benson student-body president Nate Anderson, however, denies that students trashed the building and says kids who attempt to cut through the courtyard are now harassed by security guards. He insists the path is the safest way for students to get to and from the MAX stop on Holladay Street, as it keeps them away from the office building's frenzied parking garage.

Nonetheless, the developers' attorneys maintain that their original permit had a termination clause that allowed them to fence off their property. Although a judge recently agreed with that logic, the City of Portland is appealing, saying even if the developers have found a legal loophole, they are violating the intent of the original agreement.